Germany enters the World Baseball Classic Qualifier in Tucson, Arizona, looking to make history. They’ve never qualified for the World Baseball Classic and will look to do so with the vast majority of their roster coming from their domestic league, Baseball Bundesliga. Here are some players to watch.
P Markus Solbach
The German RHP reached Triple-A with the Dodgers in 2021 and the Tigers in 2022. He has since returned home to Germany, where he was the premier pitcher in the Baseball Bundesliga. In 2024, Solbach had a 1.48 ERA and 81 strikeouts in 79 IP for the Bonn Capitals. He was even better in the playoffs. He posted a 1.13 ERA and 80 strikeouts in 64 IP and a shutout in the championship-clinching game for Bonn. He will be the ace for Germany.
P Christian Pedrol
The Brazilian-German, who was on the Brazil roster for the 2023 World Baseball Classic Qualifier, will play for Germany and could start against Brazil in the tournament. In 2024, he pitched for Serie A power San Marino. He had a 3.66 ERA and 60 strikeouts in 46.2 innings in Italy. He should be a member of the rotation.
P Tommy Sommer
Sommer, who started for Germany at the qualifiers in Germany, is back and should be in the rotation once again. The former leaguer had a 3.92 ERA in the American Association in 2024 for Kane County. He should add valuable depth to the rotation of a team where pitching will be its clear strength.
3B Simon Baumgardt
He previously played for Germany in the U23 European Championship, where he posted a 1.074 OPS with 2 HR. He also played for Germany at Prague Baseball Week in 2024, posting a .908 OPS with 1 HR there. He played for Notre Dame in 2024, posting a .886 OPS and 10 HR. He’ll be one of the main sources of power for the Germans in this tournament.
OF Shawn Larry
The outfielder will be another main power bat for the Germans. This past season in the Bundesliga, Larry was among the leaders with 7 HR and had an OPS of 1.287. He had a 1.123 OPS at the 2023 European Championship. On a team that will be looking for offense, Shawn Larry should hit in the middle of the order to provide some much-needed thump.
